In a heartfelt YouTube video that has gone viral, former Bernie Sanders supporter and lifelong Democrat Vanessa Berben explained why she decided to add her voice to the #WalkAway campaign.

This is a grassroots, rapidly-gaining-traction movement created by Brandon Straka, initially with his own viral video, that has created a social media community of disaffected liberals who have left the Democratic Party and its authoritarian, intolerant inclinations.

Originally launched on Facebook where you can find substantial content,  there are now also a sizable number of video testimonial/personal stories from ex-Democrats on the #WalkAway YouTube fan site.

Many people seem to forget that Donald Trump himself was a Democrat and independent before seeking the presidency as a first-time candidate on the Republican ticket in 2016.

On her website, civil discourse champion Vanessa Berben makes it clear that she is has not signed on with conservatives or Republicans, unlike many of her #WalkAway contemporaries who have officially made an ideological journey from left to right. But she shares their basic principles insofar as free speech is concerned.

“To vocalize any kind of dissenting opinion that doesn’t fall in lock/step with “the war for social justice’ gets us labeled a Nazi, bigot, or some other kind of racist— sometimes by our own families. So here’s my contribution to this movement. From one lifelong Democrat, here to say No More. I’m nowhere near Conservative, nowhere nar Republican, but I’m still breaking up with my party. No more rabid cognitive dissonance, no more exaltation of victimhood– I’ve chosen to #WalkAway.”

Related stories:
Internet Activist Launches #WalkAway From Politics As Usual Campaign

The #WalkAway Campaign Is Rapidly Gaining Momentum

#WalkAway Founder Brandon Straka Denied Service at New York City Electronics Store

As she further explained on the video embedded below, ‘Somehow, advocating for freedom of thought has become a radical notion.”

Although Democrats and liberals here and in Europe, including blue-check Twitter, seem incapable of distinguishing between legal and illegal immigration moreover, Berben in her video presentation specifically rejected the premise that favoring legal entry into the U.S. and strong borders are in an any discriminatory.

“Being an American surpasses color, surpasses creed, it even surpasses country of origin—This is an amazing country, and I love being an American. And I love anyone who holds American ideals up so highly, that they would be willing to leave their home country to come here. I’m so for that; I’m so all about that…”


As noted above, Berben, who also made a follow-up video, is set for an AMA on the #WalkAway subreddit on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

In the meantime, Vanessa was kind enough to agree to do an exclusive interview for this blog.

RJ: Can you briefly highlight your background and also how you got into the your current career path as a mental health advocate?

VB: I really stumbled into it by accident. Mental health is something I’ve struggled with in the past, but my focus has always been on the arts: I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil, I’ve been involved in theater off and on since I was 15, I love to sing and dance, I’m also a painter although I’m not very good!

But in 2014 I was laid off from my dream job covering television and it almost spiraled me back into a severe depression before I was able to pull myself out. On a whim, jobless, I decided to respond to an ad online looking for crisis hotline counselors, and a whole new mission in my life was born. I love being able to use my creativity and my personal experiences to try and spread the message that mental health is just as important as physical health.

RJ: You’ve addressed this already online to some or a great degree, but in a nutshell, why did you make the original #WalkAway video testimonial?

VB: I come from a very liberal-minded, “left-leaning” area and cried the day Donald Trump won the presidential election. Slowly I began to see the left become increasingly intolerant of any views that deviated from their established narratives. Anytime I tried to speak up about this I was effectively shut down by friends and family until I just stopped talking about it. Everything changed when I saw Brandon Straka’s video. I had to add my voice in support of his message.

RJ: You mentioned in the initial video that freedom of speech is very important to you, as it is with many of us who similarly work or play in fields that involve creative expression. Why have Democrats, liberals, progressives (collectively the left ) become seemingly hostile to the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution?

VB: For the life of me, I can’t understand it. Freedom of speech is the most amazing, beautiful, inspiring right to have as a proud citizen of this country. I can’t fathom advocating to limit my own right to speak my mind.

RJ: You indicate in the first video that you were Bernie Sanders voter in the primary and a Hillary Clinton voter in the general election. You’ve also expressed regret that you didn’t give Bernie a write-in vote in the general election. With that in mind, the end result of socialism is a failed, collapsed state like Venezuela (and many others around the world) with rampant starvation, corruption, and human rights violations. Can you reconcile that history with supporting Bernie?

VB: I can– simply by admitting that I was wrong! I admit it; I was so immersed in the “kool-aid,” so to speak, that I didn’t bother to do any real digging into what democratic socialism is or the ramifications it might have on us as a country. So when I say that I wish I’d voted for Bernie, I mean that at the time I thought I was doing the right thing and I wish I’d stuck by those principles rather than vote for someone else reluctantly.

However, today — having done my research — I won’t vote for Bernie if he decides to run again. It was a mistake back then, but I think it’s okay to admit that. I’ve made the commitment to make more informed decisions in the future.

RJ: Liberals were traditionally at the forefront of the civil rights movement (although Jim Crow laws were implemented by Democrats), and racial discrimination is illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and many other statutes. Against that backdrop, what accounts for all the racially charged slurs commonly spewed by the left particularly on social media against those with whom they disagree politically, including those in the #WalkAway movement?

VB: Something I’ve seen pointed out more and more lately is that it was the Democrats who wanted to keep and own slaves, it was the Republicans who freed them. So the argument could be made that it’s just history repeating itself, albeit this time they’re ripping the country apart for “social justice,” not the right to control people. Although we could get into a whole thing about them currently fighting to control our thoughts; man that’s a can of worms!

RJ: An individual obviously need not be a gun owner to support the Second Amendment. Since most violent crime is committed by career lawbreakers and gang members, terrorists, and/or mentally ill persons who seldom if ever abide by gun laws, what do you think explains the left’s obsession with gun control?

VB: I think focusing on weapons makes it easier for them to avoid fixing the real problem, which is the people behind those weapons. I don’t think most people on the left ever consider that most of the major cities with the highest rates of crime are Democratic-run. It’s easier to demonize gun owners rather than point the finger at themselves and really consider how they could be contributing to the problem.

RJ: As a former Democrat, do you plan on voting in 2018 and/or 2020. Since you’ve made it evident you aren’t a conservative, would you consider voting for a Democrat in either election?

VB: I will probably stay home this year;  I don’t see Democrats presenting a candidate I’d support this year or in 2020. I keep hoping against hope that a viable third-party candidate is going to emerge from all this madness. But…I’m not ruling out the idea of voting for a Republican for the first time in my life! (I can’t believe I just said that!)

RJ: During the course of the 2016 presidential campaign, the mainstream media portrayed Trump supporters as having violent tendencies. Since then, however, virtually all the violent rhetoric and imagery, threats, and physical altercations have come from those on the left who seem to be in the advanced stages of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Why do you think that has occurred?

VB: Your guess is as good as mine. I had the pleasure of playing Abigail in The Crucible many years ago; this current political climate reminds me of that work. They’re working themselves up into a frenzy, and I have no idea how this is going to play out.

RJ: What is it really like being Russian secret agent? Just kidding. But with that  in mind, conspiracy theories used to be a province of the right; now it seems that the left is consumed by anti-Trump conspiracy theories, Russia-related or otherwise. Is there a way to account for that?

VB: I think it all ties into what I mentioned earlier, about not wanting to do any self reflection. It’s just a lot easier to find a straw man rather than do any kind of policy overhaul. Much easier for them to say this movement is driven by foreign agents rather than address our genuine concerns about the [Democratic] Party.

RJ: How extensive is the name-calling and shunning that you’ve experienced following your #WalkAway moment?

VB: It’s been… interesting. I honestly thought maybe a couple of my family members and my most rabid-lefty friends were going to see that video and react, I had no idea it was going to go viral. Having worked in entertainment coverage, I’m not phased by trolls; that’s never going to change. and no one should take those to heart. I was more surprised by people I was personally friendly with calling me brainwashed, a coward. and even a traitor. I didn’t expect that. but it just proves my point further that it was time to leave.

RJ: Even some non-Trump supporters (at least those unaffected by Trump Derangement Syndrome) have acknowledged that with his economic nationalism agenda, Trump has exposed globalist Democrats and Republicans as being full of it, and the mainstream or corporate media as functioning as a propaganda tool for the so-called Deep State. Agree/disagree?

VB: Agree. We are not the customers of mainstream media, corporations are.  We are the product, plain and simple. That is the first, most important thing I can say to someone thinking about leaving the far left or the far right: step away from mainstream media and find news sources that aren’t propelled by corporate interests.

RJ: Any additional thoughts that you would like to convey to the readers of this blog generally or to those who may be on the verge of #WalkAway?

VB: I wish I didn’t have to say it, but really weigh the benefits as well as the consequences of “coming out” before taking this plunge. Certainly don’t put yourself in harm’s way if you believe your safety could be at risk.

Once you’ve weighed the outcomes, if you decide to post your story, know that there are over 100,000 REAL people out there who have your back. This has been an incredible community to discover, and everyone there has been so supportive. I haven’t felt this accepted in a long time.